In recent years, along with increased performance and increased integration of elements in semiconductor manufacturing processes, there has been a demand for further improvements in fine processing techniques. The etching technique is an important fine processing technique within the semiconductor manufacturing processes and plasma etching techniques which are able to finely process a large area with high efficiency have become mainstream etching techniques in recent years.
In semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses which use plasma such as plasma etching apparatuses, electrostatic chuck apparatuses have been used for some time as apparatuses where wafers are easily attached and fixed to a sample stage and the wafers are maintained at a predetermined temperature.
Here, in the electrostatic chuck apparatuses of the related art, when the plate-shaped sample such as a semiconductor wafer which is the product actually moves along the semiconductor manufacturing line, there is a need to adjust the in-plane temperature distribution of the mounting surface of the electrostatic chuck apparatus in the semiconductor manufacturing line, the temperature rising characteristics, and the cooling characteristics during decreases in temperature to be within a range of optimum values in advance, thus, a wafer with an attached temperature sensor where hot junctions of a thermocouple are each attached and fixed with heat-resistant cement to a plurality of recess sections which dot the surface of the wafer is proposed (PTL 1).
In a case where the manufacturing conditions of an electrostatic chuck apparatus are optimized in a semiconductor manufacturing line using the wafer with the attached temperature sensor, a method has been adopted where the wafer with the attached temperature sensor is mounted on a mounting surface of the electrostatic chuck apparatus and the temperature of the wafer is measured in real time by the temperature sensor while the electrostatic chuck apparatus where the wafer with the attached temperature sensor is mounted moves along the semiconductor manufacturing line.